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November, 2007

Last week, Toei Animation's president and COO Yosuke Kobayashi and director Kaz Yamashita visited Brazil. The two talked with specialized press, and Papo de Budega was present during the occasion.

One of reasons of the visit is to review the Brazilian and Latin American anime distribution scene. The company wants to give more attention to countries around the region. Their focus is on free TV (broadcast), instead of cable TV.

NANA has resumed with the issue of Cookie that just went on sale. There was a message from Yazawa-sensei on the mobile NANA site that she's fully recovered now, so I guess we’ll be able to read the series every month.

The Belgian press have nicknamed the case "Mangamoord" ("Manga Murder" in Dutch), although the police officials emphasize that they cannot rule conclusively that the case was indeed murder. They also note that they have found no further connection between the manga and the case, despite the two notes. The circumstances of the real-life case were not similar to those of any fictional portrayal of death in the manga series.

The J-Pop Center In Heart Of Japan Town To Offer Latest Live Action And Anime Films

San Francisco, CA, November 27, 2007 - VIZ Pictures, an affiliate of VIZ Media LLC that focuses on Japanese live-action film distribution, has announced that it has become an owner of an art-house movie theatre set to open in winter 2008/2009 in the heart of San Francisco's Japan Town, a prominent and historical sightseeing spot in the San Francisco Bay Area. The theatre will specialize in screening Japanese films and anime.

Students learn about popular Japanese art-form, pitch concepts to studio execs

IRVINE, Calif. - November 21, 2007 - UC Irvine Extension, the continuing education arm of the University of California, Irvine, has announced plans to offer a new, third course in its "Manga & Anime Explosion: What, Why, How & Wow!" series. The course is designed to give both those pursuing a career in the high-growth entertainment field and enthusiasts alike a better understanding of the creative and business processes involved in bringing the Japanese art-form successfully to the masses in the United States.

From Daily Yomiuri Online comes an article titled "Firms launch New Manga in Shrinking Market," which looks at how Shueisha and Kadokawa Shoten are launching new manga magazines in a "declining magazine market":

While Japan's domestic comic magazine market is gradually shrinking, two major publishers have recently inaugurated monthly comic compilations--Shueisha Inc's Jump SQ. (Square) for boys and Kadokawa Shoten's Kerokero A (Ace) for children. Can they keep young readers from moving away from the magazines and find a foothold in the shrinking market?

A lot about George Akiyama is shrouded in mystery and myth. Fact 1: he's a veteran manga artist who's spent the last thirty years and more at the cutting edge of the art-form, and he still shows no signs of slowing down. Fact 2: he has the true artist's gift of sensing what's coming down the line. Long before they happened, both the Aum Shinrikyo death cult and the anime Evangelion are weirdly foreshadowed in his work.

Penguin Revolution (ペンギン 革命) by Sakura Tsukuba is coming to an end in the upcoming issue of Hakusensha's LaLa.

Golden Days (ゴールデン・デイズ) by Shigeru Takao and Karakuri Odette (カラクリオデット) by Julietta Suzuki will be ending in the upcoming issue of Hana to Yume.

Belmonde le VisiteuR by Shomei Ishioka came to an end in Weekly Shounen Jump No.51. A new one-shot, titled Toriko by Shimabukuro Mitsutoshi, will appear in Weekly Jump No.52 (11/26). Finally, a new series called Psyren by Iwashiro Toshiaki will begin in Weekly Jump No.1 (12/3).

Shoujo Comic, also known as Sho-Comi, was launched in 1968 by Shogakukan. To celebrate its 40th anniversary, the Sho-Comi magazine will begin using a new logo starting with the January New Year's issue (on sale 12/5).

NBC12, the NBC affiliate in central Virginia, quotes a student at the public high school who said that she is friends with the suspended senior and that she was not on the list. The suspended student's friend said that neither she, nor her friends who were actually on the list, fear the suspended student.

Gardena, CA , November 21, 2007 - Ever wonder what it might be like to be a vampire?

If so, Pop Japan Travel and Toon Zone have a contest for you.

Pop Japan Travel, the original pop Japan tour company recently profiled in the New York Times, is asking "Who wants to be a vampire?" to promote its upcoming Cold Steel Tour of Tokyo, Kamakura and Sapporo Jan. 28 to Feb. 6. The tour includes a meeting with Japanese horror icon Hideyuki Kikuchi, creator of "Vampire Hunter D," and "D" manga artist Saiko Takaki, plus a visit to Studio Pierrot ("Naruto," "Bleach"), the Ghibli Museum, the Sapporo Snow Festival, and much more.

GRIMES, IA, November 21, 2007 – Anime producer and mega-online anime retailer Right Stuf, Inc. is pleased to welcome two of the organizers of the upcoming New York Anime Festival (NYAF) - Vice President and Show Manager John McGeary and Programming Manager Peter Tatara - to episode 54 of ANIME TODAY.

From ANN comes an interview with Takehiko Inoue (creator of Slam Dunk and Vagabond), who appeared during a special in-store event at the new Kinokuniya Bookstore in New York City to paint a special mural.